Hollyoaks: Love & Hate
by sunilgangarh
Summary: The second series of my Hollyoaks fanfiction and a continuation of Secrets & Lies, these chapters continue and conclude many of the previous storylines and even introduce some more characters. Love & Hate hits the village hard with some shocking plot twists and new tragedies that I hope you enjoy reading!
1. Chapter 1 - Love

Everything had been a blur; it was unclear what was reality and what was a torturous nightmare of silence that was regularly interrupted by the beeping of the machine at the hospital bed. The white walls reinforced the numb emptiness of the last however many days or weeks that had passed.

"Sorry, excuse me. My name's Nancy, Nancy Osborne. I'm a friend of Ste's. I just wanted to come and see how he's doing; how you're both doing."

Sunil turned his head away from the bedside to look at where that voice had come from. Nancy, a small but vibrant woman, had appeared at the door. She had a sympathetic smile as she let herself in and approached the bed. He didn't know why, but Sunil stood up and wrapped his arms around Nancy, holding her close and crying. "Come, sit down and tell me all about it." she said, rubbing his back soothingly like a baby before sitting herself down on the opposite side of the bed.

"Have the doctors said anything yet?" Nancy asked, observing Ste's still body. "Not enough... They know he's definitely broken a lot of bones. Some of his ribs are broken again, his left leg, his right arm... all broken. They're not sure how his head and his brain are so they're doing tests but... I haven't heard back from them. I'm... I'm so scared." Sunil whispered, wiping tears from his face using his sleeve. Nancy dug into her little handbag and reached over to hand him some tissue. "You mustn't worry, it won't make it any easier. You have to think positive." she said lightly, holding Ste's hand. "I can't! How can I? What if he has damaged his brain? He'll never be the same again! I'll lose him and it will all be my fault!" hissed Sunil, much to Nancy's surprise. "That's not true! I suffered some pretty scary brain injuries myself not too long ago and I recovered! I thought I'd never speak again but I am telling you that you need to be there for him when he wakes up!" she retaliated. Sunil fell silent immediately and turned his focus back to Ste. "I hate seeing him all wired up and helpless like this..." Nancy moved her chair over so she could be beside Sunil to comfort him. "I know, it looks awful. You should go and get some fresh air or something. Go and see the others. Have you seen Danni today?" Nancy suggested. "I went to see her this morning but she was still asleep. I should go and see her. How do you know her?" Sunil asked, presuming that she probably knew who Danni was through the news stories that were circulating. "We're both very fond writers! She's a wonderful girl. I'll take care of Ste, you go and see her." Nancy smiled.

Leaving the room and realising that the world was still going on outside was still a small shock every time. Nurses, doctors, patients and visitors all rushed around the hospital carrying on as if they had their own lives and problems to sort out. Sunil stumbled outside for a moment just to let the cool breeze of the afternoon hit his face. A deep breath of the crisp, fresh air filled his lungs and he was then ready to head back inside.

Upon arrival at her room, Sunil saw that Danni had finally woken up and was even sitting up in her bed. "Danni! You're okay! I just came to check on you! How are you feeling?" Sunil said as he rushed to her side. "I feel really dizzy... but I'm okay. Where is everyone?" she asked, massaging her forehead with the palm of her hand. "Has no one told you anything since you've woken up? Didn't a nurse or someone not come in to tell you what happened?" Sunil asked. Danni shook her head slowly as it would have caused a great deal of pain if she were to do so any harder. "Well, apparently, Patrick bit Maxine's shoulder and that caused the crash. Someone fired a gun in the car and the bullet hit Patrick and went through him and then hit Sienna, too. The car crashed into Ste and then into the ditch..." Sunil choked finishing the sentence. "The gun! Is Sienna okay?! Where is she?!" Danni sat up and looked a little more frantic and worried for her sister. "Calm down! It's okay. Sienna is okay. Patrick isn't, though, he's dead. The bullet went through his lungs. The crash didn't kill him but he died shortly after from the shot. The bullet only went through Sienna's arm. She's healing really well. Actually, I should tell you, for some reason, Sienna has been taken back to the mental hospital she was at before. They want to examine her more." Sunil explained as he watched Danni's face go from relieved to worried once again. "What?! That's outrageous! We have to get her out of there! She doesn't belong in there right now, she needs to be around her family! What were they thinking?! What about Nico and Maxine? Please tell me they're okay!" breathed Danni. "Yes! They're both absolutely fine. Nico's just in shock, so is Maxine, really. They're out of hospital already. Dodger is taking care of them at home. Don't worry."

Sunil grabbed Danni's hand and squeezed as the following silence reminded them of their previous issues. Danni had taken Nico on a dangerous quest to track down her real father which ended in them being kidnapped and almost killed by Patrick. Danni had apologised sincerely but Sunil had already moved passed it. He was just glad to have his best friend back and to finally know she was safe.

A soft knock on the door alerted them to another visitor, Freddie. His smile seemed out of place and uncertain but he stepped inside anyway. His relationship with Danni was just blossoming before her departure. She had left without an explanation to him so he had learned about everything that had happened through street gossip and the news coverage. Again, Freddie seemed brilliantly understanding and accepting of what had happened and was also just happy to see that she was okay. Sunil left them alone to chat after he realised he was no longer needed.

Sunil's phone buzzed in his pocket, indicating a phone call. He had received so many calls from everyone in his contact list asking if he was okay. He had even received a couple of shady phone calls from local and national news stations asking for commentary on what had happened. He answered and was surprised to hear Amy's voice.

"Hey, I called Dennis and asked him to give me your number, I hope that's okay. I just wanted to let you know that I'm sorry you haven't heard from me and the kids sooner. We're actually on our way up to the hospital now if that's okay?"

"Oh, of course, that would be great! Yes, I'm positive Ste will want you all to be here. He hasn't been responding to anyone so hearing you and the kids might do something. I'll see you soon."

Entering Ste's room again, Sunil discovered that Tony, Diane and Sinead had decided to visit. The severely uncomfortable tension between Nancy and Diane caused Nancy to understandably leave earlier. "Heya, just thought we'd pop in quickly and see him. How is he doing?" Tony said. Sunil explained each detail once again, becoming slightly hateful towards having to repeat everything. Sinead was sat by Ste's side, gripping his hand and crying. She appeared to be talking to herself or to him but her voice was too distant to pick up what she was saying. Diane and Ste also had a dodgy history but Sunil was truly appreciative that she was woman enough to show up. She smiled pitifully at him and had brought flowers with a get-well-soon card to put on his bedside table.

Once they had left, Amy arrived almost immediately after. She poked her head in through the door and allowed Leah and Lucas to walk in first. This was not the first time they had seen their beloved father in a hospital bed and it probably wouldn't be the last if things were to carry on the way they were. "Sorry, I hope we're not too late for visiting hours, there was a lot of traffic on our way in." Amy apologised, staring briefly at Ste's body before hugging Sunil. Leah and Lucas seemed fairly hesitant about approaching Ste but Amy gently nudged them over and asked them to speak to him and tell him how much they loved him. Amy and Sunil watched in total emotional awe as Lucas read aloud a card he had written for Ste. Leah helped him with some of the words and they both kissed a cheek on each side when they finished. "Is daddy going to wake up soon?" Leah asked, looking to both her mother and Sunil. Amy obviously didn't know so she passed on the question to Sunil to answer. "Of course he will, princess! I hope so. He has to see you and your beautiful jumper you're wearing. And I'm sure he's going to want to see your beautiful card, Lucas. Keep talking to him and he will hear you!" They quickly turned back to Ste and made themselves comfortable before chatting away to his motionless body.

"Sunil, can I speak to you outside for a moment?" Amy asked suddenly before telling the kids not to touch anything. He followed her out of the room, unsure of what it could be that she needed to speak about. "I just wanted to catch up on everything, really. How has he been, I haven't heard from him at all in ages." she started. "He's been really great. He's been working non-stop really and we're both saving up to get our own place. He really has changed this time..." Amy looked a bit unconvinced. "Why do you sound a bit off? Is something the matter?" she continued. "No, of course not! I'm just still really worried for him and these brain test results. I'm sure you heard but he actually saved my life and pushed me out of the way from the car. It could have been me in that bed... Actually, there is something... I'm not sure how to feel about it. Brendan has asked Ste to sign up for his visitation list. He's being moved to a nearby prison." Amy looked rather angry once Sunil had finished. "You can't let him see Brendan. That's not going to do him or you any good, is it?" she said forcefully. "Yeah, but I can't not let him do stuff he wants to do! I think he even knows it's a bad idea but it's Brendan, of course he's going to go and see him any ways! I don't know how to feel about it but I can't stop him." Leah and Lucas suddenly whipped the door open. "Mummy, look! Daddy's eyes are moving! I think he's waking up!" Leah beamed. They jumped up and down in excitement as Sunil and Amy rushed into the room to see if he was waking up. Ste's eyes were, indeed, appearing to open up. His eyelashes flickered and the lids opened ever so slightly before closing again. A few moments had passed and it was as if nothing had happened and he was still again. "Come on, daddy!" Lucas yelled, shaking his hand gently.

Sunil took a seat on the bed and grasped his other hand. "Ste, can you hear me? We're all here, we're all here waiting for you. Leah and Lucas are here with Amy. Nancy and the O'Connors came to visit earlier. Sinead was so upset to see you like this but you're going to be okay, aren't you? Please, wake up. We need you to wake up." There was still no response whatsoever other than the whining beep of the hospital machinery. "We love you so, so much. What you did was something I will never be able to thank you enough for. You didn't just save my life, you came to stop me from leaving you, something I don't think I'd ever be able to do now. The only way I can possibly ever come close to thanking you enough is by giving you all of my life and all of my love. What I'm trying to say is that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, loving you. I know it didn't go right the first time you suggested we should get married but that was because I didn't understand how much I need and love you. I need you to wake up now so you can ask me properly because I will say yes this time. No more excuses or doubts. If you'll have me, I'll marry you! Leah can be our flower girl and Lucas can be our best man and you're going to look so handsome in your suit-" As tears began to stream down his face once again, Leah handed him another tissue from the bedside table. She pulled herself onto the bed and cuddled into his arm. "So, I need-, we need you to open your eyes and let us know you're okay."

Lucas now pulled himself onto the bed also and carefully placed himself so that he could hug his father without hurting him. "Come on, daddy." Leah whispered, watching in anticipation. It appeared that they hadn't got through to him as there was no more movements but moments later, his eyes began to open again. It seemed like a miracle had taken place. Even Amy had begun to cry, overwhelmed with emotion. Ste's eyes drooped low and the sudden light was clearly making it difficult for him. Eventually, he could open them enough to look around the room. Sunil kissed his hands thankfully as Leah and Lucas began carefully placing kisses all around his face, avoiding the oxygen mask. "You're awake! You're awake!" they cheered with joy. "I better go and get a nurse for him!" Sunil gasped, placing his hand back down gently and rushing out of the room. "I'll come with you, there's something else I need to tell you!" Amy said swiftly as she followed him out.

They paced through the halls to find a nurse but Amy seemed like she had to tell him something in private. "What's wrong?" Sunil asked in concern, picking up on her worried facial expression. "I don't even know how to tell you this... I'll just say it! I'm pregnant." she said nervously. Sunil didn't know how to react to the announcement. It seemed slightly odd and inappropriate to bring it up at that very moment and it seemed irrelevant to anything going on right now. Amy realised that was what Sunil was thinking and continued to elaborate. "I fell pregnant after a one-night-stand and I don't know who the father is... I don't want to abort the baby but I don't know how I'm going to manage with three kids and finishing my degree! What do you think I should do?" Sunil was still taken aback by the revelation but he had an instant solution to her problem.

"If you're trying to ask me if we'll take the kids for a while, I'm pretty sure Ste will absolutely be fine with that."


	2. Chapter 2 - Control

Sunil and Amy were followed back to Ste's room by his nurse, Lindsey. They threw the door open and watched as she paced over to observe his state. Ste's droopy eyes hung over his oxygen mask and he seemed to be staring at nothing in particular. It must have been such a strange experience for Ste; all of the distant voices and the blurry vision and the bright lights. Would he even recognise any of these things? The condition of his brain was still completely unclear and would be so until tests were completed. At least he was finally awake.

Freddie hadn't left Danni's bedside all day. She insisted repeatedly that she felt ready to go home but Freddie and the hospital staff urged her to stay for just another while. "I didn't think you'd ever want to speak to me again after I did what I did." Danni said, sitting herself up a little more. "I didn't, at first. I thought I was going to end up wasting my time chasing you if you were just going to get up and leave like that without telling me." he laughed, passing her a bottle of water he had bought for her from a nearby vending machine. "Why are you here then? Why did you want to see me?" she asked seriously, taking the bottle but waiting patiently for his answer before considering taking a drink. Freddie's head dropped a little and he seemed to have lost the ability to speak. He rubbed his jaw with his hand before speaking. "When I found out that you had left, I was bitter and disappointed. We've only known each other for a short while but no girl has ever got me this quickly. I don't know how to explain it but I know you know what I mean. When I heard there was a massive crash, I didn't care because nothing going on around me seemed to capture my attention the way you did. When I heard _you_ were in that car, I could have leaped out of my own skin rushing around to find out if you were okay. I dropped everything and came looking for you. When I got to the bus stop, where the wreckage was, I watched them carry your body on a stretcher to the ambulance and my legs lost all feeling. I didn't know what was going to happen to you after that. All I knew was that I had to be with you in here. I came to visit you every day to check up on you and to chat to you, even though you couldn't hear me. Now that you're awake, I can tell you that there's no other girl on this planet that makes me feel this way." The grin that grew on Danni's face as Freddie spoke was both comical and romantic. Like Freddie, she had never felt this way before. "So, you're willing to give us another try?" she croaked, finally taking a gulp of water to clear her dry throat. He smiled and kissed her gently on the forehead.

The village had become awfully still since the crash had taken place. The aftermath had been cleared away but the bus stop was still missing and the gaping car-shaped hole in the ditch behind it was a fixed reminder of what had happened that night. Unaffected by the tragedy was Trevor, who went about his days as casual as ever. He was far more invested in his new business plan of using his apparent irresistibility to control an unaware Cody who had now officially dropped out of college. "Why don't you take me out for dinner or something sometime?" she suggested, making sure to show enough of her chest to guarantee the answer she wanted to hear. They stood at the bar in the club and kept an eye out for Grace, even though Trevor had already told her he would be leading Cody on to carry out risky deeds for him. "I'd love to! What kind of food do you like? Italian? Indian? Chinese? You name it and I'll take you out." he winked, watching her fall deeper and deeper for him with every word. "Hm, I'd love to go to a fancy Italian restaurant! I think you and I deserve only the best, don't you think?" She stroked his hand flirtatiously but quickly pulled away as Grace appeared from the back of the club. She seemed to be in a hurry and rushed to the club manager's room, leaving them alone again. "I'll take you out if you do a little something for me." Trevor piped up moments later. "Oh yeah? And what might that be?" she teased, placing a hand on his chest and leaning in to kiss him. He eased her back a little bit so that he could explain the mood-killing condition. "You know that I'm a very busy business man, don't you? Well, sometimes, I don't have enough time to do what I need to do and I don't trust anyone enough to hire them to do things for me because a lot of money is at stake. But, I trust you. I really like you. And in order for me to have some time to be with you, I need to get some things done. So, I will be happy to take you out for dinner if you'll drop off some money for me to someone I know. They'll give you something in return and you just bring it back to me. Simple, isn't it? Are you up for it?" he smiled, combing his fingers through a streak of her hair. "Of course I'll do it! Just tell me when you need the money dropped off and I'll do it!" she beamed, completely unaware of how badly it could go. Trevor looked very pleased and rewarded her with a secret smooch, knowing it was all an act.

It had been announced that Ste's test results would be returning in a few moments and that Sunil, Amy, Leah and Lucas were to wait patiently. Lindsey had been so attentive and caring towards Ste but she could deliver life-changing news to him at any moment. "Can you hear me? Are you able to speak? Try and say something! Squeeze my hand if you can hear me!" Sunil pleaded, receiving no response. Amy tried to keep Leah and Lucas occupied as being in one room for too long tended to make them bored and eager to go somewhere else. Ste simply stared at the ceiling which scared Sunil greatly. It was looking more and more likely that some serious damage had been done. After another excruciatingly drawn-out wait, Lindsey finally emerged at the door with a clipboard in her hand. Sunil scrutinised every feature of her face to detect any clue as to what she was about to say but she was stone-solid and impossible to read. She stood by the bed and waited for them to gather around a little before quickly flicking through her clipboard.

"Okay, as you know, Ste has broken some bones which will all heal over time. We will try to get him a wheelchair as soon as possible so that he can get around a bit easier. We've already got a referral sent off for him so he will just need to be assessed before they can give it to him but I'm positive he will get one." As Lindsey spoke, Sunil and Amy seemed visibly agitated and just wanted to hear everything else. "When it comes to his head injuries, it is quite detailed but I will try to shrink it down for you. He has gone through some pretty serious head trauma, but, we think he will make a full recovery over time, also. He is incredibly lucky." A collaborative sigh of relief that could have knocked over Leah and Lucas was let out by Sunil and Amy. Sunil had lit up with tears of joy as Amy explained to the kids that their daddy was going to be okay. Once there was another bit of silence, Lindsey spoke again. "Although he hasn't done any damage to his skull or his brain, we would suggest that you don't put Ste through any stress of any kind for as long as possible. It could trigger something and cause damage that way so just keep him relaxed and out of harm's way. He may experience some difficulty with speech and movement but that should correct itself pretty soon so don't panic if he isn't responding in those ways. Other than that, I've nothing else to say! Do either of you have any questions?" Lindsey asked, making her way to the door. "No, but thank you so much for everything! Really, thank you!" Sunil said in praise before she disappeared into the corridor again. "Did you hear that, Ste?! You're going to be okay! Can you believe it?!" Sunil exclaimed, grasping Ste's hand and diving into his shoulder before realising he was probably hurting his broken arm.

Freddie remained with Danni in her ward and chatted to her to make her feel like she wasn't in a hospital as best as he could. At some point that evening, they were interrupted by a soft and almost inaudible knock on the door. They both looked up to see who it was. Unexpectedly, Sienna peeked her had around the door. "Surprise!" she smiled as she let herself in. Danni's face lit up and she lifted herself out of her bed to stumble to her half-sister as fast as she could. "How come you're out of... that place?" Danni asked in disbelief, avoiding referring to the psychiatric hospital as what it was because she felt uncomfortable with the idea that her sister was a patient in one. "They let me out today! They didn't think I needed any further treatment. Like before, they knew there was nothing wrong with me. Really, they just thought I may have suffered head injuries from the crash or seeing my dad again might have driven me back to madness but I'm all good and I'm free!" Sienna explained with a irremovable grin on her face. With that, she was embraced in a much-needed hug from Danni. "So, he's definitely gone this time?" Danni murmured as she pulled away. Sienna knew instantly that she was referring to their father who had died in the process of trying to hurt them once again. She nodded her head adamantly with a slight hint of sadness. Although Patrick was evil to his core, he was their father. He brought Danni back to Sienna but now they could comfortably move on and be a proper family without his controlling grip over them.

After almost an hour of trying to communicate with Ste in some way, Sunil had only managed to get some finger movement. He had begged Ste to squeeze his hand if he could hear him speaking and Ste soldiered through his pain to lift two of his fingers. It was a little movement but an enormous step forward in the early stages of his recovery. Leah and Lucas took Ste a step further when they read him poems they had written for him by his bedside. Instead of trying to squeeze someone's hand or to make a certain noise, Ste managed to alternate his breathing for a second. It was almost like a hiccup or a small, muted laugh. It was similar to hearing a baby speak its first words. All of this was accomplished in just one day. The possibilities of what Ste could potentially accomplish over the next few days or weeks was still uncertain but everyone had sturdy hope that the best would come of it. Surely, they deserved that.

"How did that big meeting go today then?" Darren asked Nancy after he came down from putting Oscar, their son, to bed. Nancy laid her bag and herself down on the couch and had a particularly unusual smile on her face. Darren followed her to the couch and took a seat across from her, suspicious of what was giving her so much pleasure. "You're never going to guess what I've just been offered!" she chuckled, clamping her hands to her face, a thrilling stare of excitement in her eyes. "Now that the headmaster position is obviously no longer occupied, the board of directors have offered me the position as headmistress!" she almost squealed. Darren leapt from the couch parallel to hers and forced a storm of kisses on her face. "You're going to take the job, aren't you?" Darren asked once they had calmed down. "Oh, of course! How could I not take it? This is the highest position I've ever had in my career! I've always wanted to have this job and now it's mine!" she beamed, glowing with pride. "Bet Sienna's not going to be too happy with that, you taking her dad's old job and all that!" Darren giggled, marching to the kitchen to grab a bottle of champaign and two glasses. "Oh, don't bring her into this! This is a moment of triumph and celebration! We're finally going to be financially stable and I'll never have to correct another blasted test!" Darren poured their glasses and they toasted. "You won't have to correct tests but you _will _have to run an entire college and make sure everything goes smoothly every day!" he joked, watching the grin deteriorate slowly on her face. "The first thing I'm going to do is get John Paul his job back seeing as there's no English teachers left! I'll also need to find a new drama teacher... There's also this really dreadful smell coming from some of the pipes and that's going to need sorting out... Oh, and the students are petitioning for better products in the vending machines and there's plans to extend the staff car park and that'll have to be sorted out pretty quickly-" Darren raised his hand to silence her and they began to laugh at her typical approaching methods to future problems. "Take it easy! I can see the wrinkles appearing on your face already from all the stress you're piling onto yourself! Let's just enjoy tonight and you can worry about all of those things when you've actually got the job!" Nancy downed her entire glass of champaign and snatched the bottle from the table to pour herself another. "I love you, you know." she said, slamming the bottle back down. "I love you too, and your future pay. It's one of the many things I love about you!" Darren replied cheekily. Nancy slapped his arm playfully before cuddling into him. Her life was finally taking a dramatic turn in the direction of power, stability, control and comfort. Four things she had fought for her entire life and had now earned.


End file.
